College Football's Most Important Offers of the Week
Ohio State already has two defensive tackles committed in its top-rated 2017 recruiting class.
However, Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer and his staff aren’t finished in their pursuit of adding talented prospects on the interior of their defensive line.
In fact, last week, Ohio State offered 5-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson—who rates as the nation’s top prospect at the position.
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"Blessed to be offered by THE OHIO STATE #shhh pic.twitter.com/cCFIkYIu47
— HOLLYWOOD MARV (@RDMW6) March 14, 2016"
According to Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts, the 6’4”, 316-pounder was excited about his newest offer.
“It means a lot to me,” Wilson told Kurelic. “Ohio State has always been one of my dream schools. They are one of my top choices.”
As Kurelic detailed, the next step for Wilson is arranging a visit to Columbus—which could come for the Buckeyes' spring game or during the summer.
Among the other programs pursuing Wilson heavily at this stage of his recruitment are Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan and Texas.
However, the Buckeyes are now hoping to strike again in the state of Texas by pulling Wilson from the Lone Star State.
Assuming he does make a visit to check out the Buckeyes, they could become a real factor in his recruitment moving forward.
Notre Dame After Alabama DE
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and his staff have done a great job in recent years of recruiting on a national level.
Last week, the Irish offered 4-star defensive end LaBryan Ray, who hails from James Clemens High School in Madison, Alabama.
The 6’5”, 283-pounder has seen his stock skyrocket recently, with programs such as Florida State, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas A&M also offering him within the last month.
It will be tough for Notre Dame to pull him out of Alabama’s backyard, but the Irish will give it a shot after officially jumping into the chase for the nation’s No. 5 strong side defensive end.
Arizona State Offers Rising Pass-Rusher
Similar to Ray, another defensive end who has seen his offer list explode in recent months is 4-star California native Jaelan Phillips.
Last week, the nation’s No. 5 weak-side defensive end and the No. 77 player overall in the 2017 class picked up an offer from Arizona State.
As Bleacher Report’s Damon Sayles noted, the 6’5”, 235-pound Phillips is a hybrid prospect who has the potential to play linebacker or defensive end in college.
The Sun Devils join programs such as Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas A&M who have tendered the No. 10 overall prospect from the Golden State within the last month.
3-Star WR Nets 4 SEC Offers
Another prospect who is seeing increased interest from national powers is 3-star receiver Jeremiah Holloman.
Last week, the 6’3”, 195-pound Georgia native picked up offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and South Carolina.
His recent offer spree pushed his total number of suitors to 25.
Assuming he continues to perform well during the spring and summer camp circuit, Holloman has the makings of a player who will continue to pile offers and climb up the rankings in the coming months.
Best of the Rest
- Duke and Virginia offered 4-star offensive lineman Aaron Banks.
- Adam Friedman of Rivals reported that NC State offered 4-star safety Jonathan Sutherland.
- Georgia, Miami, Stanford and Texas A&M all offered 3-star receiver Tyrell Shavers.
- Arkansas and Virginia offered 3-star running back Chase Hayden.
- Virginia Tech offered 4-star athlete Keldrick Carper.
- Wake Forest offered 3-star athlete Markquese Bell.
- Michigan offered 4-star corner Kary Vincent. The Wolverines also offered 3-star corner Ameer Speed and 2-star running back O’Maury Samuels.
- Florida and Rutgers offered 4-star defensive end D.J. Johnson.
- West Virginia offered 4-star defensive end Jordan Williams. The Mountaineers also offered 3-star corner and current Pittsburgh commit Exree Loe.
- Arizona State offered 3-star quarterback Tyler Lytle.
- California offered 5-star receiver Tyjon Lindsey. The Golden Bears also offered 3-star linebacker Marqez Bimage.
- Oregon offered 4-star receiver Jalen Reagor.
- Oregon State offered 3-star receiver Bryan Thompson.
- UCLA offered 4-star defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu.
- Friedman reported that USC offered 4-star defensive end Luiji Vilain.
- Washington offered 3-star receiver Alex Cook.
- Arkansas offered 4-star linebacker and current Ohio State pledge Antjuan Simmons. The Razorbacks also offered 4-star receiver Laviska Shenault.
- Auburn offered 4-star tight end Hunter Bryant.
- Florida offered 5-star corner Darnay Holmes. The Gators also offered 3-star tight end Grant Calcaterra.
- Scout’s Brandon Huffman reported that LSU offered 5-star running back and current Alabama commit Najee Harris.
- Ryan Bartow of 247Sports reported that Mississippi State offered 4-star defensive tackle Cam Spence.
- Missouri offered 3-star corner Cheyenne Labruzza. The Tigers also offered 3-star linebacker Tyler Taylor.
- South Carolina offered 3-star corner Elijah Hicks.
- Texas A&M offered 4-star defensive end Zachary Carter.
- Tennessee offered JUCO defensive end Isaiah Buggs.
- Vanderbilt offered 3-star quarterback Taylor Powell.
- Maryland offered corner Asante Samuel Jr.
- Arizona offered safety Jaiden Woodbey.
- UCLA offered offensive lineman Penei Sewell.
- Tennessee offered receiver Matthew Hill.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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